This invention relates to a process for decoloring a fatty acid ester, more particularly a special oil, intended for inclusion in the composition of food or cosmetic products.
In the majority of cases, the crude oils extracted by pressing or with solvents cannot be used as such in food or cosmetic products. They contain impurities which have to be eliminated by preliminary refining. The refining process generally comprises four successive steps, namely, acid degumming, alkaline neutralization, decolorization and, finally, deodorization. In certain particular cases of strongly colored oils which are intended for specific applications, for example in cosmetics, which require intensive decolorization, the conventional refining process, which comprises contacting with bentonite or acid-activated montmorillonite in vacuo in the presence of heat, followed by filtration, does not enable the level of decolorization required for the application envisaged to be achieved.
An improved decolorization process known as "chromatographic" decolorization comprises diluting the oil in an apolar solvent and adsorbing the impurities by contacting the solution with a solid adsorbent in a column. One such process is described, for example, in European patent application Publication No. 0 108 571, which relates in particular to the stabilization and decolorization of fish oils. In this process, a fish oil rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids is hydrogenated in the presence of a catalyst and is then decolorized in solution using a solid adsorbent, such as silica gel, activated alumina, aluminium silicate or activated clay, by successive passages of the solution through a column containing the adsorbent.